Game.



C. W. FOWLER.

jzarlaswjowem Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

CHARLES W. FOWLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

Application filed February 7, 1916. Serial No. 76,738.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. FOWLER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Games, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a gam which may be advantageously used as an educational device.

The primary object of the invention is to provide. a game of the class described which when played by children for whose use itis especially adapted will afford considerable amusement and require a certain amount of skill upon the part of the players to enable one of the players to obtain a high score by means of a ball used in connection with the device which, in its movement is largely controlled by the laws of gravity.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which has a ball operated by the laws of gravity to depress indicators provided with means for indicating the score obtained by the person rolling the ball and inclined receiving and delivering alleys so that, when the ball is placed in the delivering alley it will be actuated by gravity and returned to the player after the depression of an indicator.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device with indicators which have removable score plates connected therewith which may be interchanged according to the ability of the players and thus rendering the game more diflicult and amusing.

lVith these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel combination and arrangement of parts which, will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The preferred form of the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawing, although no restriction is necessarily made to the preceise details of construction therein shown, as changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when so desired.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the game constructed in accordance with the invention, Fig. 2 is a-vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing one of the indicators depressed by the passage of the ball from the upper to the lower compartments of the device, Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, Fig. is a detailed perspective view of one of the indisponding parts throughout the several views I in the drawings.

The numeral 1 designates a table provided with supporting legs 2 and having spaced compartments 3 and 4, said compartments being substantially triangular in shape and provided upon their convergent sides with upstanding flanges 5. The upper compartment 3 has arranged adjacent its straight side a row of spaced openings 6 which are circular in shape, while the lower compartment 4 has an upstanding wall 7 provided with spaced openings 8, said wall 7 extending above the bottom of the upper compartment 3 for a short distance.

Extending transversely of the table 1 and secured to the rear of the wall 7 is an inclined plate 9 located below the openings 8 in the back wall 7. The plate 9 is provided adjacent the openings 8 with pairs of spaced cars 10, between each pair of which is pivotally mounted indicators 11. Each indicator 11 comprises a lever 12 formed from a strip of material bent between its ends to provideoppositely inclined portions 13 and 14 to one of which is removably connected a plate 15 upon which is imprinted a suitable designating numeral or the like. The levers 12 are pivotally connected with the cars 10 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 in the drawing and each lever has the ortion 13 thereof provided-with a depresslon 16 located beneath one of the openings 6 in the upper compartment 3, while the plates 15 are normally adapted to lie in contact with the upper surface of the plate 9.

Inclining upwardly and outwardly from th meeting ends of the convergent sides of the upper compartment 3 is an inclined alley or runway 17, the outer end of which is closed by a depending and hinged sup-' porting leg 18, provided with pointed feet 19 and having an opening20 disposed above said feet and arranged to receive and support in an inclined position a receiving alley or runway 21 connected at its inner end with the meeting ends of the convergent side flanges 5 on the lower compartment 4. A ball 22 is provided for operating the indicators 11 when placed in the upper-or reeeiving alley 17-. v

When playing the game the player first places the ball 22 in the alley 17, said ball being propelled by gravity through the alley 17 and into the upper compartment 3 where owing to the convergent upstanding flanges 5 on said compartment the ball is free to enter one of the spaced openings 6 in the floor of said compartment and in its passage through the openings contacts with the depression 16 in one of the levers 12, so that the portion13 of the lever is depressed and moves the plate 15 connected with the portion 14 of said lever in an upward direction so that the player can read the numeral imprinted upon the plate. lVith reference to Fig. 2 in the drawing it will be noted that the lever is moved sufliciently far under the weight of the ball to cause the ball to be ejected from the depression 16 into the lower. compartment 4 and directed by the upstanding flanges 5 forming the side walls of said compartment into the inclined alley 21 where through the laws of gravity, the ball will be directed to the forward end of the alley and within convenient reach of the player. It will ,of course be understood that the plates 15 are of sutlicient weight to counter balance the portions 13 of the levers 12 when the ball leaves the depressions 16 in said portions 13 so that the plates 15 will be attracted by gravity to their normal position upon the plate 9, and that the portion of the wall 7 which extends above the plate 9 limits the swinging movement of the levers and plates connected therewith when actuated by the ball. It will be further noted that the hinge connection of the supporting legs 18 enables the same to be placed in an inclined position so that the incline of the receiving and delivering alleys may be regulated to cause the movement of the ball to be acceler ated thus rendering the game more difficult to play, while the plates 15 may be interchanged to accomplish the same result if desired and that by the child being compelled to add the numbers imprinted upon the plates 15 as they are depressed to correctly count the score obtained by the depression of the indicators by the ball, the child becomes proficient in the addition of numerals.

From the foregoing statements taken in connection with the accompanying drawing it will at time be apparent that a game has been'provided which though simple in construction and inexpensive of manufacture is capable of affording considerable amusement and requiring some skill to play the same.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A game comprising a table having upper and lower compartments, the upper comartment having s aced openings,"a delivering alley connecte with the forward end of the upper compartment, a supporting leg connected with the delivering alley and pr0- vided with an opening, a ball for disposition within the delivering alley whereby said ball may be caused to gravitate through said alley and the openings in said upper compartment, indicators arranged in the path of movement of the ball, and a receiving alley connected with the lower compartment and passing through the opening in the supporting leg.

2. A game comprising a table having triangular shaped upper and lower compartments, the upper compartment having a row of spaced openings, a back wall upon the lower compartment extending upwardly and above the openings in the upper compartment, a plate secured to said wall, receiving and delivering alleys connected with the respective compartments, means for supporting said alleys in an inclined position, a gravity actuated ball adapted to be directed by the delivering alley into said compartments, levers pivotally connected with the plate and having one end disposed beneath the openings in the upper compartment, and plates removably connected with the other end of said levers.

' 3. A game comprising a table having upper and lower compartments, the upper compartment having a row of spaced openings, a back wall upon the lower compartment extending upwardly above said openings, a plate secured to said wall below said openings, a ball, delivering and receiving alleys connected with the respective compartments, means for varying the inclination of said alleys to cause the ball to gravitate throhgh the alleys and compartments, levers pivotally connected'between their ends with said plate and having one end arranged beneath the openings in the upper compartment, and a plate removably mounted upon each of said levers and provided with a numeral.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES w. FOWLER.

Witnesses EARLE F. TILLEY, JOSEPH P. EAMES. 

